A well-made vodka should present light, medium and heavy notes. A strong, pungent aroma of alcohol would suggest a poorly crafted vodka. Pour 50cl into a clean, short heavy-bottomed glass, bring it to your nose and slowly inhale through your nose with an open mouth, swirl and repeat. Experts suggest starting with an unflavoured brand of vodka and storing it in the freezer – three hours prior to serving is an accepted rule of thumb. Tasting VodkaĪs with wine, the first step of tasting starts with the nose as aroma is responsible for around 80% of what we process as flavour.Ī vodka’s particular aroma may define how you drink it – neat, on the rocks or in a cocktail. In the United States products sold as vodka must have a minimum alcohol content of 40%. This figure differs in the European Union which has established a minimum of 37.5% ABV. The minimum ABV for standard vodka production in Poland, Russia, Belarus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Slovakia, Sweden and Ukraine is 40% ABV (alcohol by volume). In this regard, the importance of marketing and branding in setting different vodka brands apart is greater for vodka than any other spirits category. These vodkas can command the highest price tags, though there is no legal weight to premium or super-premium titles and can make no discernible difference in blind tastings. Premium or super-premium vodkas are often more characterful and are generally made with unusual ingredients, unusual water sources and methods of production – as well as distinctive branding and packaging. Light, crisp and drier vodkas tend to be made from barley, sweeter versions from rye and richly textured from wheat, while potatoes produce vodka with a uniquely creamy texture. The grains barley, rye and wheat are the traditional raw, base materials for quality vodkas, as well as potatoes. Quick distillation and heavy processing can also adversely affect a vodka’s flavour. Standard, inexpensive vodkas are often made with molasses which give the impression of sweetness but have very little actual flavour. Up to 400 bottles per minute can be machine-filled in some automated distilleries. Unlike wine or whisky, vodka does not have an ageing process so can be immediately bottled and sold.
Less expensive essences can be used, as with gin production, though these can smell and taste artificial and fade quickly in the glass. The flavour can be added either by macerating the ingredient in the vodka or by blending in distilled fruit spirits. Water must then be added to weaken the alcohol to the standardised 40% ABV (though this varies from country to country) – it is also at this point that the distiller can add flavour additives. Once the final spirit has been distilled some distillers choose to use activated charcoal to remove any remaining impurities. The aim of vodka distillation is to produce a spirit that is as close to pure ethanol as possible.Īfter distillation, the liquid should have between 95-100% alcohol (by law most vodkas have to be distilled to a strength of at least 96% ABV or in the US 95% ABV). This can be done either with pot stills, which need multiple distillations to reach the required content of alcohol but are more practical and cost-effective for small vodka producers, or through column stills which are more commonly used for large production scales and praised for the cleanness and purity of the final product. The liquid ethyl alcohol is then distilled to remove impurities and increase overall alcohol content. The mixture is then heated transforming the starch into sugar resulting in ‘mash’ which is then poured into stainless steel tanks and left to ferment into ethyl alcohol – a process that takes anywhere from one day to two weeks. Vodka is made by harvesting and milling fermentable substances which are then cooked alongside fresh, filtered water.
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